Iraqi Party Head barred from Iraq elections, nominates son

Shafaq News – Baghdad

The Secretary-General of the National Masses Party (Al-Jamaheer Al-Wataniya), Ahmed al-Jubouri, known as Abu Mazen, announced on Tuesday that he has been barred from running in Iraq’s upcoming elections and nominated his son, Mazen, as his replacement.

In a statement, al-Jubouri said that despite being excluded from contesting the November elections by a decision of the Independent High Electoral Commission (IHEC), “the will shall not be broken,” confirming that the substitute candidate will be his son, Mazen Ahmed Abdullah.

Al-Jubouri added that his son will represent the party in parliament, while he will continue “serving the project and identity.”

IHEC has already disqualified more than 470 candidates, and sources told Shafaq News that the total could exceed 600. The main reasons cited include de-Ba'athification measures, as well as cases related to corruption, bribery, and educational qualifications.

The commission also released updated statistics on participation, confirming that around 29 million Iraqis are eligible to vote. A total of 31 electoral alliances and 38 political parties have been registered, alongside 79 independent candidates, including 23 running in general constituencies and 56 representing minority components.